Is our collective compliance wisdom enhanced when we meet regionally (or locally) across industries ???

First, hope everyone is well and is having an awesome summer ?? !!

As promised, this a monthly newsletter, so for this month, it’s a pleasure and honor to interview Tomell deSilva Ceasar*, co-chair, the Middle East and Africa Compliance Association (MEACA) about this new Association and its work!?

Hi Tomell- If memory serves correct, we first met in Dubai in 2018 at cross-industry event, along with your co-chair Elvis Angyiembe! So, tell us a little more about the MEACA. What inspired its formation, and what are the goals of the Association?

In 2021, Elvis, our co-chair, came to me with an idea to formalize an association for compliance professionals beyond the informal compliance networks that existed. I thought it was a fantastic idea and we partnered up, brought some seasoned compliance folks on board and ran with the idea. In March of this year, 2022, we became officially incorporated as a not-for-profit in the Dubai International Financial Center, in association with the law firm Norton Rose Fulbright.?

The inspiration behind starting this organization was that, to our knowledge, we hadn’t seen a dedicated compliance organization which had a region-wide focus. Our goal was to elevate and further entrench ethical business practices in the Middle East region and African continent.?Our vision is to be recognized as the go-to professional association in the Middle East and Africa that serves to promote transparency, accountability and a culture of integrity. Our mission is to empower our association members and the communities in which they live to be effective combatants against the proliferation of corruption in all forms. We seek to inspire and catalyze a movement for a more ethical and just world.?

Is it an open membership Association and how often do you anticipate meeting?

The membership is open to anyone who is interested in the compliance, risk, and governance space. Anyone can join, by simply logging onto our website and entering their contact credentials under “join the MEACA Network”. Membership is free and once register with us, you will be a part of our monthly newsletter and able to participate in the variety of events and service offerings we have.?

Tomell, for compliance leaders who are reading this, and who might want to think about forming a local or regional cross-industry Association, but like yourself, are already time-constrained, what might you say? Where is the value added?

Well, my view is that we all have a limited time here on earth, and while we are here, we must do whatever we can to help each other. The stoic philosopher, Seneca reflected on the shortness of life, concluding “it is not that we have a short space of time, but that we waste much of it.” These days everyone is incredibly busy, and jam packed with commitments. But I found that if I really scrutinize my schedule, by just cutting some of my less productive activities, I can find the time to do something positive. In my life, I’ve found that there is no substitute to the good you feel inside whenever you take time to leave the world a little better than it was the previous day.?

Ok, any first steps as to how to get started?

It’s super easy and not as daunting as it may seem. All one needs to do is register a not-for-profit in a jurisdiction of your choosing, find like-minded partners, establish a vision and set off! Should any of your readers begin this journey, we would be happy to not only support but to be future partners. In the end, the more organizations promoting ethics and compliance around the world, the better off we all are. The world certainly needs it!

Now, let’s get back to MEACA! Looking back at it now, as we slowly climb out of this crisis, from an ethics and compliance perspective, over the past two years, what do you think has changed the most? Speaking individually and perhaps, even if generally, what might be the top two or three challenges that you have seen in the MEA region which needed to be addressed??

Well unfortunately the MEA region tends to host some of the more “risky” jurisdictions, when you look at the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released by Transparency International. It’s difficult to make blanket generalizations because the MEA area is so vast, but what I am continuously encouraged by the general movement (or at the very least, desire) towards the adoption of international best practices, broadly speaking.?The biggest challenges stem from the outstanding work that needs to be done to bridge the gap between where some of the jurisdictions are today, to where they need to be to climb up the CPI rankings, for example. Of course, rankings are not the ultimate barometer of success, but certainly the idea is to incubate, and foster are more ethical and just climate for business and even civil society.?

And what about the future in the region. Is it ‘back to business’ now that we are through with what we hope is the worst of this crisis, or have there been changes in the E and C function that you might see embraced going forward??

As with all regions,?compliance has had to adapt to new realities of, for example, remote working, and other considerations that have developed as a consequence of the pandemic. E&C functions have to continually be nimble, agile and demonstrate their value to companies. We’ve seen efficiency and cost management continue to become key areas of focus for companies to compete, especially in light of all the recent supply chain and inflationary pressures. We hope MEACA can help empower compliance professionals with the skills, knowledge and opportunities to build on the great work they are doing all over the world, as they navigate the numerous challenges throughout the world.?

Well, thank you so much Tomell!?I hope I get to see you and Elvis, and your colleagues again in-person soon. And for those who might want to know more about MEACA, is there a website or contact info?

Yes, please visit us online at www.ME-ACA.com or via e-mail at [email protected] . I am also personally available at [email protected] should folks wish to reach out to me directly.?

* I am extremely grateful for this interview with Tomell, and his views here represent his work as the co-chair of MEACA and as an individual- not in his current corporate in-house role, or those of his employer.

On another note, one of my favorite Harvard Business Review contributors (and just all-around great person!),?Dina Denham Smith,?recently started an awesome?inkedIn Newsletter on very topical?workforce and workplace issues which can be found here.?Her last two HBR pieces were double headers published in the same week, Are You Too Responsible??and How Leaders Can Escape Their Echo Chambers!!

And finally, for those fans of the award-winning (for corporate training and communications) Mastercard co-produced anti-bribery e-learning series, get ready for part III, titled Ordinary Situations, Extra-Ordinary Risk!?The release could be as early as next week, so if you would like to be among the first to have access to the full video via an evaluation link, feel free to subscribe to The FCPA Blog where it will be formally released. And while you are visiting the FCPA Blog, feel free to check out my latest post, Bribes worth nothing that don’t happen can also be crimes here.

Also, don’t forget, if you are on Instagram, there seems to be more and more ethics and compliance leaders posting stories, reels and snaps of their latest travels, team pictures and of course, cat and latte photos! If so inclined, feel free to connect on IG with me here!?

Well, that’s about it from here, and look forward to connecting again next month. Wishing everyone a relaxing, restful and safe summer ?? !!?